Great Groups

Brook Hills' missionaries serve in tough places and they deeply need our support. Groups can have a global impact by building strong, supportive relationships with them. Join Chris and Jay as we talk to a group leader who has led his group well in that area. Suggested Missionary Support Ideas for Groups Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroup...

In this episode, we review a recent live class at Brookhills entitled Leading Group Meetings 101: The First Things You Need to Know .  In this episode, Chris joins us to discuss preparation, study and organization of content, asking good questions, staying on track, and much more. Join us to see if reviewing the basics is helpful to you. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Po...

In this episode, we review a recent live class at Brookhills entitled Leading Group Meetings 101: The First Things You Need to Know .  In this episode, Chris joins us to discuss preparation, study and organization of content, asking good questions, staying on track, and much more. Join us to see if reviewing the basics is helpful to you. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Po...

In this episode, Luke Long fills in for Chris Amaro as we host Parker Snider, Brook Hills' Young Adult Minister in a conversation about hospitality. We're recapping the breakout sessions from our Fall 2024 Leader Gatherng. The official breakout title was "Building Biblical Community & Hospitality: How to Help People Connect with One Another and With Guests." Listen in and g...

David McKnight and Mike Joiner are our guest for the topic "Leading Your Group Outside the Walls: Serving Together and Individually". This was one of our breakouts at the Fall 2024 Small Group Leader Gathering and we went to bring everyone the content from that session. Visit GreatGroups.org to listen, or better yet, subscribe to The Great Groups Podcast on your favorite podcast app. Tha...

In this episode, Jay and Chris discuss things to pray for your Small Group and for the Small Groups Ministry at Brook Hills or your own church, if different. Listen in and learn some things to pray for your group. Please consider adding the items below to your personal prayer list. List of Things to Pray for Your Group Great Groups BuzzSprout Website Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Gr...

In this episode, Jay interviews Ashley Chesnut, Brook Hills' Associate Minister of Young Adults. We are reviewing breakouts from our Fall Small Group Leader Gathering. The full title of Ashley's breakout was Choosing Curriculum for Your Group: Identifying Where Your People Are and Selecting What's Next.  Join us for some thoughts on choosing curriculum for your Small Group. Choosing...

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Luke Long, our new Adults & Small Groups Intern at Brook Hills. Join us to get to know Luke and hear his passion for Small Groups that has been passed down from his father and grandfather. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes. We'd love to hear from you! Click...

In this episode, we begin a series looking back on the breakout sessions from our Fall Small Group Leader Gathering. Those include Evangelism, New Groups, Meetings, Serving, Philosophy of Groups, Curriculum, Biblical Community & Hospitality, Leadership Teams, and Discipe-making. Today, we begin the series with Chris Amaro, both special guest and co-host, who led a breakout session on Starting...

In this episode, Jay and Chris discuss ten thoughts on pursuing the spiritual growth of your group members. Here are the thoughts we'll dive into. 1. Pray for the spiritual growth of your group.  2. Expect spiritual growth. Don't be content without it. 3. Model spiritual maturity for them.      High Potency + Clear Communication + Close Proximity + God's Hand = Maximum Impact (Maxim...

In this episode, we'll hear our Pastor, Matt Mason, as we look back to the Fall 2024 Small Group Leader Gathering. His talk is entitled Three Big "Ones": Encouragement for Ministry and Mission. It includes One Passion: Cultivating our Walk with the Lord, One Posture: Eager Reception of God's Word and Application of It, and One Mission: Gospel Conversations. Listen in to be enco...

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Nathan and Blair Sherman about things that are going well in their group. This is a follow-up to their brief discussion on a panel during Brook Hills' recent Faith Family Gathering. There were so many things to dig into that we made it two podcasts. Here is the first. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit Great...

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Nathan and Blair Sherman about things that are going well in their group. This is a follow-up to their brief discussion on a panel during Brook Hills' recent Faith Family Gathering. There were so many things to dig into that we made it two podcasts. Here is the first. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit Great...

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Wade and Joan K to learn about their background and call to missions and hear stories about what God is doing in Slovenia, where they serve. We want to help Small Group Leaders see that some future missionaries may very well be in your Small Group now. Let's keep mission work and missionaries in front of our group members and see what God does. After t...

In Episode 114, Brennan Strain joins Jay and Chris as they all share ideas for starting the new group year strong following our summer break. We are introducing a new format that we plan to use fairly often - a mix of interview and color commentary. It's just more fun with more people, especially people you haven't heard from yet. Brennan co-leads a young adult group along with his wife,...

In this episode, Jay and Chris host Grayson and Lucy to hear stories about how their group has been on mission for Christ. From the very start, the Gayles have been very intentional about equipping and engaging in evangelism as a group. And the group is all in. Join us to get some tips that you can apply in your group Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit...

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Dale Kendrick and Chris Robbins about their Small Group. They use a weekly email to communicate with their group, discussing what they studied last week, looking forward to the coming week, and sometimes giving some homework that links to the upcoming meeting. Listen and hear how they use that and more to build community in their group. Here's the KR (...

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Rus Goodwin, Brook Hills' Pastoral Care Minister and part of our Member Care Team. We take a few minutes to get to know Rus and then discuss the overlap of pastoral care and groups.  Listen and hear how Rus can help you and the members of your group. You can also help Rus coordinate the work of meeting needs. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to th...

In this episode, Jay and Chris react to Small Group Leader responses to our Spring Snapshot. It's an electronic form we use at Brook Hills to check vital signs for our groups and get feedback from our leaders. We specifically discuss the answers to two questions: 1) STRENGTHS: What are some positive things happening in your group? and 2) STRUGGLES: What challenges is your group experiencing?...

In this episode, Jay interviews Parker Snider, Brook Hills' new Young Adult Minister. Listen in to learn about Parker's background, hobbies, spiritual story, small group, and a little about young adult ministry. We'll also discuss spiritual growth catalysts and helping people grow during crisis. Send us Fan Mail Thanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGro...

Our recent snapshots (feedback from leaders) indicate many groups are struggling with attendance issues. In this episode, Jay and Chris continue to discuss having the right perspective on these issues. They also share some tips and thoughts on ways to strengthen consistency. Jay referenced the document Small Group Essentials , which mentions faithfulness to attend. One option is to review this doc...

Our recent snapshots (feedback from leaders) indicate many groups are struggling with attendance issues. In this episode, Jay and Chris discuss having the right perspective on these issues, and they also share some tips and thoughts on ways to strengthen consistency. Jay referenced the document Small Group Essentials , which mentions faithfulness to attend. One option is to review this document wi...

In this episode, Jay and Chris talk with Harry Handlin, one of our Small Group Leaders. We discuss his group, which uses a Bible reading plan together, and Harry then draws his teaching time from the plan. God's word changes lives, so we're interested in teaching plans that encourage people to read the Bible regularly. We included some ideas for groups that may not fully engage in this t...

In this episode, Jay reviews a list of 11 things Small Group Leaders should avoid when leading their groups. The list begins with showing up late or unprepared, includes being too guarded, and closes with failing to apply the Scripture to life and to follow up with guests and prayer requests. Listen in to hear the whole list and choose a "sin" to avoid in leading your group. Send us Fan...

In this episode, Jay and Christ discuss challenging group members to identify and take some next steps toward growth in Christ. Next steps might be defined as small steps that lead to big change when taken consistently. Jay gets Chris' reaction to a list of ten areas where next steps may be needed. Listen in and get some ideas to help your group members grow spiritually. Send us Fan Mail Than...